I was in awe. This 'simple' act of kindness had the ability to restore life! How many others out there craved love in the form of a hug? How many longed for the touch of another, yet were denied this act of grace?

What if our education emphasized cultivating compassion, caring, open heartedness, ethics, insight and wisdom? What kind of person might we become if kindness and generosity were part of our daily lessons?

Urban Worrier is an extraordinary book about an ordinary life as lived in extraordinary times. How I wish voices like Frank Gruber's were the voices of politics and argument we were hearing on cable TV!

If you live in the Los Angeles area or will be visiting this week, there's a big shindig in Santa Monica on Wednesday evening, September 9, 2009 to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Santa Monica Pier.